Liquid dispenser



Feb. 27, 1968 A. T. BRAGA 3,370,751

LIQUID DISPENSER Filed June 22, 1966 United States Patent O 3,370,751 LIQUID DISPENSER Albert T. Braga, West St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed June 22, 1966, Ser. No. 559,557 2 Claims. (Cl. 222-76) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An electromagnetically operated dispenser for dispensmg a preselected small quantity of water conditioning agent in a dishwasher or clothes washer.

The dispenser is a pump with a spring actuated, magnetically released plunger having a hammer action.

This invention relates to liquid dispensers and in particular to liquid dispensers providing a predetermined quantity of liquid at a predetermined time in the cycle of operation or apparatus with which the dispenser is associated.

In apparatus such as dishwashing, or clothes washing, apparatus, it is desirable at times to provide a small quantity of liquid such as a wetting agent as during the last rinse cycle. In a dishwashing cycle, such wetting agents have the desirable effect of reducing the surface tension of the rinse water, thereby effectively reducing spotting of the dishes and effectively decreasing the drying time. Where such wetting agents are used in clothes washing apparatus, the removal of the rinse water is facilitated as during the spin or centrifuging drying operation.

The present invention is concerned with an improved means for dispensing such a preselected small quantity of a liquid such as a wetting agent. Thus, a principal feature of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved liquid dispenser.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of such a liquid dispenser having `new and improved means for etiecting the discharge of a preselected quantity of liquid from a pump chamber as desired by the user.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of such a liquid dispenser arranged to utilize an automatic signal from the associated apparatus, but requiring a manual potentiation of the discharging means to permit the signal to eiiect a dispensing operation.

Still another feature of the invention isl the provision of such a liquid dispenser having means defining a storage chamber and passage means for conducting the liquid to be dispensed from the storage chamber to the pumping chamber, the apparatus being arranged to provide a selfcleaning of the passage as a concomitant of a dispensing of the liquid. i

A further feature of the invention is the provision of such a liquid dispenser having new and improved means for effecting the pumping of the liquid from a pumping chamber.

Still another feature of the invention is the provision of such a liquid dispenser having means deiining a pumping chamber provided with an outlet, means for discharging a preselected quantity of liquid from the pumping chamber through the outlet comprising pumping means disposable in a potentiated arrangement and movable from the potentiated arrangement to provide a pumping stroke forcing a preselected quantity of liquid from the pumping chamber through the outlet, manually operable means for disposing the pumping means in the potentiated arrangement, means for releasably holding the pumping means in the potentiated arrangement, means providing a signal at preselected times, and means responsive to the signal for operating the holding means ice to release the potentiated pumping means whereby the signal means eiiects a pumping stroke only when the pumping means has been manually potentiated prior to the provision of a signal by the signal means.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a dishwashing apparatus having a portion thereof broken away to illustrate the arrangement of a liquid dispenser embodying the invention therein;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of the liquid dispenser;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary front elevation illustrating the arrangement of the dispenser as upon completion of a dispensing operation; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section taken substantially along the line 5 5 of FIGURE 4.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention as disclosed in the drawing, a washing apparatus generally designated 10, here comprising a dishwashing apparatus, is shown to include a cabinet 11 having a rear wall 12 carrying a liquid dispenser, generally designated 13, embodying the invention. The dispenser 13 may include a storage tank 14 for storing a quantity of the liquid L to be dispensed. Liquid is directed from the storage tank 14 into a pumping chamber 15 through a small orifice 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the pumping chamber 15 is disposed within thetank 14. As best seen in FIG- URES 2 and 3, access to the interior of tank 14 is provided through an inlet opening 17 in cabinet wall 12, the tank 14 being provided with a tubular fitting 18 extending through opening 17 into the dishwashing chamber 19 forwardly of the Wall 12. A conduit 20 extends upwardly from the pumping chamber 15 to have an outlet end 21 thereof disposed in the opening 17 within fitting 18 to discharge liquid from the pumping chamber 15 into the dishwashing chamber 19 at selected times.

Dicharge of the liquid L from the outlet 21 is eiiected herein by means of a hammer 22Yarranged to strike'a flexible diaphragm 23 defining one wall of the chamber 15 at the bottom of tank 14. The hammer 22 is swingably mounted on pivots 24 carried on a pair of spaced mounting plates 25 secured to the tank 14 by suitable means such as screws 26. The hammer is biased to engage the diaphragm 23 by a torsion spring 27.

. The hammer is cocked against the action of spring 27 by a manually operable plunger 28 comprising an elongated rod carrying, at its lower end, a contact member 29 arranged to selectively abut a corresponding contact portion 30 of the hammer 22. The plunger rod 28 is longitudinally movably carried on a pair of supports 31 projecting from tank 14 and is biased upwardly by a coil spring 32 acting between the lower support 31 and a pin 33 carried by the rod. At its upper end, the rod 28 may be provided with a button 34.- for manual engagement by the user.

An electromagnet 35 is carried on the mounting plates 25 subjacent the hammer 22. The electromagnet 35 includes a coil 36 and pole pieces 37. The hammer 22 carries on its underside an armature 38 which may be disposed in bridging relationship to the pole pieces 37, as shown in FIGURE 2.

4In operation, the user places in the tank 14 a suitable quantity of the liquid to be dispensed, such as wet-ting agent liquid -L The liquid may be introduced into the tank through the opening 17. The liquid L ows through the orice 16 into the pump-ing chamber 1'5 and upwardly into the conduit 20. A suitable control, such as control 39, may be provided in the apparatus 10 for eecting an automatic cycle of loperation thereof, and including the provision of an electrical signal at preselected times such as at the time of the iinal rinse operation of the dishwashing cycle. Herein, the signal may comprise a discontinua tion of the energization of the coil 36 of the electromagnet 35. As the user of the dishwasher apparatus may desire the addition of wetting agent only periodically and not with each dishwash-ing operation,`the control 39 is arranged to permit the selective dispensing of the liquid L under the manual control of the user through the use of the plunger 28. More specically, where no wetting agent liquid L is desired during a dishwashing cycle, nothing need be done by the user. The hammer 22 will be disposed in the upper position of FIGURE 4 under the biasing action of the spring 27, and any signal delivered to the electromagnet 35 will have no effect thereon. However, where the user wishes to dispense a quantity of Wetting agent liquid upon provision of the signal to the electromagnet 35, he merely depresses the operator button 34 to urge the contact member 29 downwardly against the 'hammer portion 30, as shown in FIGURE 4, to swing the hammer downwardly to the position of FIGURE 2 wherein the armature 38 is magnetically latched to the pole pieces 37 as long as magnetizing current is owing in the coil `36. When the signal interrupting the current ow to the coil 36 is provided, the hammer is released from the electromagnet 35 whereby the force developed by spring 27 quickly swings the hammer upwardly in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in FIGURE 2, to strike the diaphragm 23 and cause displacement of liquid from the pumping chamber upwardly through the conduit and outwardly through the discharge outlet 21. At the :same time, a small quantity of liquid in the pumping chamber is caused to flow reversely outwardly through the orifice 1'6 thereby providing a self-cleaning of the oritice.

The retraction of the hammer 22 to the position of 4FIGURE 2 permits replacement liquid L to ow through Ygiven complete cycle of opera-tion of the apparatus is under the selected control of the user through the medium of the manually operable hammer potentiating plunger 28. As shown in FIGURE 1, the plunger button 34 may be disposed at the rear of the cabinet 10 for facilitated operation of the potentiating member 28 when desired.

Thus, the dispenser 13 is extremely simple and economical of construction, while yet provides an improved selective control utilizing an automatic timing signal of the apparatus With which it is associated. The'self-cleaning of the small `oriiice 16 effectively minimizes, maintenance thereof, permitting the orifice to be relatively small to eifect a checking action on the reverse ow of the liquid from the pumping chamber back to the tank 14 while yet maintaining the orifice open at all times Yfor normal diow of the liquid from ythe Vtank into the pumping chamber., In the illustrated embodiment, an electromagnetic means is utilized for holding the pumping means comprising the hammer 22 so as to permit the spring 27 to effect the pump stroke. As will be -obvious to those skilled in lthe art, other latching mechanisms such as those utilizing a Y current pulse to effect a release of the potentiated hammer may be utilized in lieu thereof within the scope of fthe invention.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable -of Y many modiiications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from Ithe spirit and scope of the invention as dened Vin the appended claims.

v The embodiment ofthe invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed is defined as follows: l

1. In a liquid dispenser having means delining a pump chamber provided with an outlet, means for discharging arpreselected quantity of liquid from said pump chamber through said outlet, comprising:

pumping means disposable in a potentiated ani-angement and movable from said potentiated arrangement to provide a pumping stroke forcing a preselected quantity of liquid from said pump chamber through said outlet, said pumping means .comprising a flexible diaphragm defining one wall of said pump chamber, a hammer, and spring means for forcibly urging said hammer against said diaphragm;

manually operable means for disposing said pumping means in Said potentiated arrangement;

means for releasably holding said pumping Ymeans in said potentiated arrangement, said holding means comprising an electromagnet and means on said hammer to be held by said electromagnet 'when magnetizing current is passed therethrough, said vmanually operable means being arranged to urge said hammer against the springv means to be urged to the potentiated arrangement and held therein by said electromagnet; Y means providing a signal at preselected times; and means responsive to said signal for operating said hold- `ing means to release the potentiated pumping means whereby said` signal means effects a pumping stroke only when said pumping means has been manually potentiated prior to the provision of a signal by said signal means.

2. The liquid dispensing means of claim 1 wherein said signal comprises an interruption in the magnetizing current passed Jthrough said magnet.y

References Cited n UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,580,256 12/1-951 Tacchella 222--340 X 3,055,555 9/ 1962 Reiter 222-340 X 3,116,855 1/1964 Thomson 222-340 X 3,198,387 8/ 1965 Kendt et al 222-340 X ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner. HADDAS. LA NE, Examiner. 

